Are People traveling less because of Gas Prices?

[dianne]

As of now gas prices haven't affected our vacation plans....but I don't know how much traveling we will be doing once in Florida. Think we will be staying at the campground and around disney alot more than previous years. We will use disney transportation and have a AP I think we will be using quite often. Since we are staying at FW for 2 1/2 months we are still going but..if we were going for only a few weeks I think we would cancel. Since we live in a rual area and it's 15 miles to town we plan our trips , no more spur of the moment .lets go out for dinner.

 

[bcvillastwo]

In March when we planned our trip to FW the price of gas was right about $2 a gallon for regular in the Norfolk Va area. Now the price is running around $2.50 a gallon.

I drive a 1999 F-150 4.6 V-8 and get about 20 MPG on the road. I pull a TrailManor (TM) travel trailer and lose about 3 mpg when I am towing the TM.

It's about 770 miles from the Norfolk area to Orlando one way so I estimate a round trip of 1,600 miles. So if I get 17 mpg I will need right at 94 gallons of gas. So, I'm going to round up to 100 gallons.

So, if I had made the trip in March (and my calculations are correct) it would have cost us about $200 round trip (100 gallons X $2.00).

If gas prices stay are still at $2.50 per gallon in October (which it won't because historically it goes down after labor day) then it will cost $250 round trip. (100 gallons X $2.50).

Fifty dollars is a big increase to be sure, but not nearly enough to even begin thinking about not taking the trip.

So here's to being blessed and still able to take the trip despite the increase in gasoline costs.

By the way, for the record using Tom's inflation calculator if gas is $2.50 today what was it in 1965? The answer is .40 cents a gallon. Now, if you make $50,000 today what would a comparable amount be in 1965? The answer is $8,197.78. I could go on with these calculations but I'll let someone else continue with the math.

The point I am making is that it may seem like gas prices are going crazy, and they are, but maybe it's not so bad as we think when we compare the price of gas today to the price of gas in previous years (I just picked 1965 because it was the year before I started driving when I was a teenager.

 

[Caskbill]

That's true, but that's due to taxes. What do you pay for your annual car registration? In the U.S. all States are different, but here in Indiana I just paid $250 on my 3-year old car. A brand new mid-level car would be about $400. The annual taxes on the RV are over $600/year. (And that's cheap compared to some States)

Are you speaking of renewing your car's tag each year? If so, this is outrageous! I'm in FL and we pay anywhere b/t $30-80, I'm guessing. When I had a personallized plate (vanity tag) it cost me $57 per year. I went to a regualr tag to save a bit of money and now I pay about $45.

Yes, that's the annual renewal. It's a 2002 model. When it was new, the first year's fee was around $320. It goes down a little each year.

 

[Caskbill]

The annual taxes on the RV are over $600/year. (And that's cheap compared to some States)

And what is this for? I'm sorry for all the questions, it's just so strange what some states charge and others don't.

That's an annual fee. It goes down a little each year as the RV depreciates. When the RV was new it was around $1200/year. Now this is not a big fancy $200K diesel pusher. To purchase a similar RV today would be around $75,000. (We paid $55,000 for the unit when we purchased it brand new) (34 foot, class-A, no slides)

There are more RV's manufactured in Indiana than in any other State, yet only a handful of States have RV taxes that are higher.

In Indiana they don't apply the same formula for fees on an RV that they use on cars. For cars, it's an excise tax, but on RV's it's a property tax. Of course according to my pocket book, there's little difference....

One of the reasons we want to move to Florida eventually is because of the low taxes and fees down there. I've done some calculations and would save several $thousand a year in taxes (mostly income taxes, but also some of these DMV fees. We've been looking at housing there with an Agent on some of our trips. Property taxes there are similar to our Indiana property taxes, so no savings (but thankfully no increase) in that category. Utilities in Florida are a little cheaper, but it's tough to judge true savings one might get in heating bills and compare to what would happen on the cooling bills instead.

Of course, the other main reason to move to Florida is to be within an hour or so of WDW.

Driving then to Ft. Wilderness would be a no-brainer.

 

[dianne]

Yes it is true that it seems minor to pay the extra cost for the fuel when you calculate it in that fashion. But when can you remember anything increasing in price at such a rapid rate in the last 20 years? Yes some things might have, but soon fell to a middle ground shortly after. There doesn't seem to be a sign of it slowing down in the near future. Also you must consider all the people on fixed incomes who don't have the ability to keep up with the rising prices and other fuel used in the day to day driving through out the year. With that said, I do agree you can't stop living because of it. If I have to give up a trip or two to town for a night out, it's well worth it if it means we can still travel to Fla. for the winter. But adjustments must be made to try to keep up with the rising tide.

 

[MMLong3996]

Yes, that's the annual renewal. It's a 2002 model. When it was new, the first year's fee was around $320. It goes down a little each year.

I'm just dumbfounded. Again, you pay that yearly for your registration and tag (little sticker?) Wow. And we complain about having to pay what I mentioned, roughly $50. That's so unaffordable and I couldn't imagine having more than one car due at the same time. AllI can say is wow! LOL

 

[MMLong3996]

There are more RV's manufactured in Indiana than in any other State, yet only a handful of States have RV taxes that are higher.

I've never heard of RV taxes! I learn something new everyday! I guess if we do have them in FL, I'll just stay with my travel trailer for years to come!

One of the reasons we want to move to Florida eventually is because of the low taxes and fees down there. I've done some calculations and would save several $thousand a year in taxes (mostly income taxes, but also some of these DMV fees. We've been looking at housing there with an Agent on some of our trips. Property taxes there are similar to our Indiana property taxes, so no savings (but thankfully no increase) in that category.

Utilities in Florida are a little cheaper, but it's tough to judge true savings one might get in heating bills and compare to what would happen on the cooling bills instead.

My home is roughly 2000 sq. ft. and I pay, on average, $160-180 per month for my electric bill. I have all electric, no gas. We run our AC year-round, minus maybe 1 full month, or less.

Of course, the other main reason to move to Florida is to be within an hour or so of WDW.

I live in Brevard County, which is east of Orlando and I'm right at 1 hour away.

 

[Mac and Us]

as I mentioned above our 2005 Winnebago Sightseer RV was $1850. for our plates/tags/tax/registration (each state calls it something different)......for 15 months! Every year it goes down but not fast enough for me. I'm sure next January it will be $1350.

I paid $420. to renew the plates for 2003 Toyota 4Runner this year.....1 year.

I too envy the folks who live in Florida. Although, I'm sure if you dig deep you'll find it all evens out. Where you don't have to pay in one place you end up paying in another!

 

[MMLong3996]

I too envy the folks who live in Florida. Although, I'm sure if you dig deep you'll find it all evens out. Where you don't have to pay in one place you end up paying in another!

I don't know, I don't feel like I pay much of anything living here in FL. Honestly. I mean, nothing outrageous. There's not many people in other states that I know of paying less than me for most things, taxes, etc. Well, this is in my area, of course, there are places in FL that are outrageous as well! LOL

I couldn't afford to move, that's for sure!